Mash-up Anime World: Creating the SCP Foundation to Contain Anomalies Chapter 199 - 197: Plotting the Seizure of the Sword Saint

After scaling the city wall, Natsuki Subaru attempted to descend quickly by clinging to the cracks in the stone.

And then,, he fell.

A cloud of dust rose from the ground.

Fortunately, thanks to his enhanced physique, he was rely disheveled rather than injured.

Climbing up from the ground, Subaru patted the dust off his clothes, feeling slightly embarrassed.

Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard hushed voices coming from a distance in the darkness.

"Hey, did you hear sothing over there?"

Subaru stiffened in alarm.

On instinct, he moved to the side and hid.

The voices weren't too close, if not for his enhanced body, he wouldn't have been able to hear them at all.

Footsteps echoed in the distance.

Before long, three figures arrived at the spot where Subaru had just landed.

Thanks to the Dinsional Chat Group's function, Subaru magnified his vision and finally got a clear look at the people.

Three individuals, dressed in blood-red robes and wearing strange masks that concealed their entire faces.

One wore a rabbit mask and examined the area before frowning.

"Are you ssing with us? You must be really bored."

The one in the gray mask scowled in response.

"Do I look like an idiot? Wasting my ti playing pranks? If I had free ti, I'd rather spend it with a demi-human girl."

The one in the wolf mask raised a hand, silencing their argunt.

"Enough. Since there's no actual disturbance, let's proceed with the plan. Once we succeed, the rewards will keep us living lavishly for a long ti."

The rabbit and gray masks stopped their bickering, nodded, and began returning to their original positions.

As they walked, the gray-masked one spoke up.

"Wolf, what exactly does HQ an by this? Deploying so many people for such a pointless mission?"

"If we have the manpower, wouldn't it be better to just snatch so won? This world, huh... I've had my eyes on Ram and Rem for ages."

Hearing that, the wolf-masked figure looked like he was about to reprimand him but instead glanced around warily.

After confirming they were alone, he lowered his voice and said:

"This isn't sothing you should know, but there's no harm in telling you. You'll find out eventually anyway. Let be straight with you—this ti, a true Powerhouse has arrived to orchestrate things in this world. Obviously, they wouldn't be after trivial things like won or gear."

Hearing that, both the rabbit and gray-masked figures froze in shock.

"A Powerhouse!?" The rabbit mask sounded surprised. "You an soone ranked in the top 100?"

The wolf mask let out a cold chuckle.

"Top 100? If I told you, you'd be scared to death, it's a top 10 powerhouse!"

As soon as he said that, the other two sharply inhaled.

"Top 10? Aren't those the ones who can shake worlds? Their innate abilities are all SSS-grade, right?"

The gray mask, clearly the type to fawn over power, imdiately began massaging the wolf mask's shoulders.

Obviously, this kind of information was beyond his usual reach.

Just knowing a little about it filled him with awe.

The wolf-masked figure, evidently pleased with the flattery, spoke with even more arrogance.

"That's right. The difference between the top 10 and top 100 is imasurable. This ti, the powerhouse who ca holds an SSS-grade ability, a true monster."

He sneered, basking in his own sense of superiority.

"Let spell it out; I've had so minor dealings with that being. That's the only reason I got you two in on this operation. If this were any other ti, you'd have zero chance of getting involved. Yet here you are, doing so easy work and reaping massive rewards. It's like free gold falling from the sky!"

The rabbit and gray masks nodded fervently. The gray mask, seemingly the curious type, cautiously asked:

"Wolf, what rank is this powerhouse? And what's their goal in this world? I'm dying to know! Are they after the Witch of Greed?"

But the wolf mask shut his mouth at that. Clearly, the matter was too sensitive, even he had his limits.

However, he couldn't resist their relentless probing.

Eventually, he caved and whispered,

"I don't know the exact details of the powerhouse's plan, but the target is obvious—the Sword Saint, Reinhard van Astrea."

"The powerhouse's ability is SSS-grade Necromantic Control, allowing them to command any life they kill. This ti, the goal is to take control of the Sword Saint!"

As soon as those words left his mouth, the other two were visibly shaken.

"Take down the Sword Saint!? That monster is unkillable, isn't he!? Wolf, you gotta be joking!"

The Sword Saint, Reinhard van Astrea.

In the world of Re:Zero, he was the strongest force of the Lugnica Kingdom. The undisputed pinnacle of this world.

A beloved existence favored by the world itself.

Aside from magic, swordplay, and other fantasy-world powers, Re:Zero had a unique system of abilities, Divine Protections.

These were gifts from the world, granting individuals special powers beyond normal human limits. A single Divine Protection could make soone far stronger than an average human.

And Reinhard? He possessed more than 40 Divine Protections. Every one of his abilities had been pushed beyond all reason.

With his Dragon Sword, unsheathed at full power, he could potentially cleave an entire world apart.

Moreover, Reinhard was the only person who could acquire Divine Protections post-birth. The world would create any power he desired, essentially giving him infinite customization of his own abilities.

It was as if he had mod access, able to rewrite his own strengths at will. And the reason he was said to be unkillable?

One of his Divine Protections—the Phoenix's Blessing.

It was a simple ability.

If Reinhard died, he would resurrect—gaining an improved version of the Phoenix's Blessing.

In other words, killing him only made him stronger.

That was why the other two masked figures were so dumbfounded at the idea of targeting him.

The wolf mask, however, smacked both of them on the head.

"Humph. Just because you think it's impossible doesn't an it is. For that being, this is just a bit of a challenge. Besides, even in Re:Zero's original story, there were thods to kill Reinhard."

"Enough talking! Focus on the mission—sealing off this area and cutting off transportation. Once we're done, we can loot to our heart's content. The demi-human girls in this world fetch a good price."

Hearing that, although the rabbit and gray masks still had doubts, they didn't argue further. They headed towards the land dragon rental station.

Their goal? Kill the land dragons to halt transportation.

Even though Re:Zero's world had magic, Lugnica's main mode of long-distance travel relied on land dragons.

Only a handful of people could use teleportation or sustained flight magic.

But just as the three of them moved—

A sharp wind howled behind them.

The wolf-masked figure reacted the fastest, turning around just in ti to see a dark feather streaking toward them from the shadows.

Though it was just a feather, he didn't dare underestimate it.

Realizing he couldn't dodge, he rapidly ford hand signs, then spewed out crimson flas from his mouth.

A massive fireball erupted, illuminating the entire night sky above the city outskirts.

However, the ink-colored feather seed completely unaffected by the fireball, effortlessly piercing through it.

It didn't suffer any damage, nor did its speed decrease in the slightest.

Seeing this, the expression beneath Wolf Mask's face twisted in shock. He lifted his blood-colored robe, seemingly trying to retrieve sothing to defend himself.

But it was already too late.

The ink-colored feather shot directly into Wolf Mask's mask.

The next mont, pure energy, like azure-blue liquid, overflowed from the ink feather and spread outward.

Everything it touched was instantly dissolved into nothingness.

The three of them didn't even have ti to scream before they were completely consud by the pure energy strike, dying instantly.

A long while later, Natsuki Subaru revealed himself from the darkness and approached the site of the energy strike.

At this point, a circular crater had ford in the ground.

Whether it was soil, stones, weeds, or trees, everything had been erased cleanly, leaving a smooth cross-section as if they had been excavated.

The energy strike ca swiftly and dissipated just as quickly, leaving no residual energy behind.

After searching for a while, Subaru finally found three strange crimson rings in the pit, as well as a small shield that had been lted beyond recognition by the energy.

Pain Magnet: Whew, it seems like they're dead.

Spoilers Are Fun: What a brazen organization, daring to set their sights on that Sword Saint!

Big Sister is Supre: Just from their conversation, this organization must be quite massive, roaming across different worlds and plundering everything with their foresight.

Blonde Defeated Dog: Treating won as rchandise... These people truly deserve death!

Portal Daddy: The one I killed didn't leave behind a crimson ring, though. Strange.

Candle Dragon, Fates Master, Lord of Knowledge: Send the rings so I can study them.

Pain Magnet: Got it, boss!